First you need to salt the eggplant slices, which removes excess water and bitterness and allows the marinade to penetrate thoroughly. In a colander, toss the eggplant slices with 2 teaspoons of salt, coating both sides of each slice, and spread out the slices, so that they are not on top of one another. Let them drain in the colander for 90 minutes. Rinse the eggplant really well with water to wash away the salt, and pat dry with paper towels. Finally, cut the eggplant into 3/4-inch cubes.

Place the eggplant, scallions, garlic, vinegar, oil, chili flakes, parsley, thyme, ½ teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of pepper in a zip-top bag. Gently slosh the eggplant around so it gets coated, squeeze the bag to suck out as much of the air as possible, and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours.

When marinating is complete, remove the bag from the fridge. You don’t need to let the eggplant get all the way to room temperature, but just let it hang out on the counter to take a bit of the chill off of it.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the fusilli according to the directions on the package. Drain the fusilli and cool it by flushing with cold water. Let it drain until it’s as dry as possible. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and eggplant with its marinade. Toss it all together, and season with salt and pepper to taste and an extra splash of red wine vinegar, if desired.

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